Air Creations, Inc. Blog

What Could Go (Horribly!) Wrong With Amateur AC Repairs

September 3rd, 2018

service-tech-with-condenser-unit

If there are any problems with your air conditioning, we know it’s tempting to want to repair your air conditioning yourself. It seems like it would save you time or money and a quick Google search will lead you to countless, step-by-step articles telling you how to perform the repair.
Don’t lull yourself into a false sense of security concerning repairs. Your air conditioning unit is a complex piece of machinery that needs the eye of an expert. Our technicians at Air Creations, Inc. perform the best repairs on Springfield, NJ air conditioning and we can get your unit in top shape too.

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Some Reasons to Consider a Packaged HVAC Unit

August 20th, 2018

technician-checks-ac-unit“Wait,” you’re saying, “what’s a packaged HVAC unit? Is that like a window AC?”

Well, sort of. A packaged HVAC unit is a cooling system or heat pump where all the components are contained in a single cabinet. The compressor, the evaporator coil, the condensing coil, the fans and motors—the works. The opposite of a packaged unit is a split system or a mini split system, where there are separate indoor and outdoor units. For example, the most common type of central AC found in homes is a split system with an outdoor condenser and an indoor evaporator with an air handler that sends the cooled air into the ducts.

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How Does a Ductless AC System Work?

August 6th, 2018

ductless-ac-unit-on-wallWhen you are looking for a new air conditioning system to cool down your house, or as part of planning for a new house, you may notice that one of your choices is a “ductless mini split heat pump,” which offers ductless cooling. These systems have enjoyed years of popularity in Japan and Europe, and now they are starting to show up in more homes in the US because of the many advantages they offer. No longer needing to use ducts eliminates a major cause of energy waste in an HVAC system, removes a source of air pollutants, and allows a homeowner to control the temperature in different parts of the house without affecting the other parts.

But how does a ductless AC actually do all this—without ducts? We’ll explain.

The Basics of Ductless Mini Split Heat Pumps

Before we go into more details, we want to point out that most ductless systems are heat pumps. That means they work as both cooling and heating systems. So when we mention below “ductless cooling,” we also mean ductless heating as well—you get both when you have a ductless mini split installed.

As to how these things work: they’re similar to the standard split system AC or heat pump in that they circulate refrigerant between two sets of coils—one indoors and one outdoors—to move heat from one place to another. In cooling mode, cold refrigerant is evaporated in an indoor unit to absorb heat, then is released to the outside through condensing in the outdoor unit.

What’s different about the two is that a standard split system only uses one indoor unit, which contains a large coil and blower fan, and connects to the duct network to distribute the conditioned air. With a ductless AC, there are multiple smaller indoor units. These small air handlers are installed high up on exterior walls (often over a door or window) and connect to the outdoor unit through the wall with refrigerant, condensate, and power lines. Each air handler contains a refrigerant coil and blower fan, so when they come on they direct the conditioned air straight into the living spaces. There’s no need to have ducts to transport the air.

The standard ductless system has four indoor air handlers for each outdoor unit, although there are some more powerful models that can use eight air handlers. For more cooling power, installers can add additional outdoor units.

Do Ductless Mini Splits Make Sense for You?

You may not be sure if installing ductless air conditioning in Westfield, NJ is appropriate for your situation. Even with all the great advantages they offer, ductless systems aren’t good matches for homes that already have extensive ducts. But they’re great for older homes that have never been able to enjoy air conditioning except with inefficient (and ugly) window ACs. They’re also good matches for new home construction, remodeling, and add-on rooms.

To find out what your best cooling options are, work with our team of air conditioning and heating specialists. We install top brand ductless mini split heat pumps.

Talk to the AC professionals at Air Creations, Inc. “We Do It Right” Since 1987.

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Cooling Off Some Common Air Conditioning Myths

July 23rd, 2018

woman-with-glassesThe internet has made it easy for people to access information on just about any topic with only a few keyboard clicks. But it also makes it easy for people to access misinformation as well, and many myths have now spread far and wide because of the web.

Air conditioning systems aren’t immune to this: there are many myths about how AC systems operate that we still run into. But we’d like to use the power of the internet to dispel some of these myths. Below are a few of the more common misunderstandings about air conditioning systems that you may have read or heard.

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When a Good AC Does Too Much: Short-Cycling

July 9th, 2018

tools-on-ac-unitHow can an AC do too much? You can always lower the thermostat, right?

Well, this is true if you don’t want your home to be too cold. And if your air conditioner was correctly sized for the house, adjusting the thermostat to a comfortable level is all you need to do.

The problem we’re talking about in this post is when your AC works too hard in another way. It’s called short-cycling, and it leads to high utility bills, uneven cooling, and eventually a busted air conditioner that needs to be retired before it’s time.

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Why Won’t My AC Keep Up With the Heat?

June 25th, 2018

thermometer-going-redThe warm weather is here, and it’s only going to get hotter over the next two months. Your air conditioning system is going to earn its keep—or at least you hope so.

But what if it isn’t? If you’re noticing the house feels warmer than it usually does in summer, or there are hot spots in rooms that are supposed to be cooled, your first instinct will probably be to turn down the thermostat farther than its standard setting. We don’t recommend this. If the AC is having to run longer to keep you cool, there’s something wrong with the air conditioner. Below, we’re going to examine a few of the potential reasons you’ve got an air conditioner that can’t keep up.

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Help! I’m Not Getting Any Cooling from My Air Conditioner!

June 11th, 2018

man-before-fanMaybe it’s not as sinking and unpleasant a feeling as trying to start your car and having it fail, but turning on an AC during the summer and not having it provide cooling isn’t something you want to experience. But it can happen to even the best cared-for air conditioner. It’s usually nothing that professional air conditioning repair in Westfield, NJ can’t fix!

We’re going to look at why your AC isn’t doing its job so you’ll know when to call our technicians for the repairs that will get your home cool once more. When in doubt, please don’t try to do any DIY work on your air conditioner, since you may cause even more damage to it.

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When Do I Need to Put More Refrigerant into My AC?

May 28th, 2018

technician-checking-on-ac-pressureYou probably know that something called refrigerant (also referred to as Freon, which is a specific brand of refrigerant) is an essential component for your air conditioner to do its job. But do you know how it works? It’s not actually a type of fuel, like gasoline in a car, which is consumed in order to create the energy to run a system. Refrigerant instead circulates without being consumed. But refrigerant is not like oil in a car either, which circulates but eventually degrades over time and needs to be replaced.

To answer the question in the title, refrigerant should remain at the same level for your AC’s service life and never need to be replaced or have more put in. If you hear a supposed AC “expert” tell you that your system’s refrigerant needs to be regularly topped off, don’t believe them. The factory set charge of refrigerant in your AC is exactly what it should be.

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Get Genuine AC Maintenance—Not Just a “Spring Tune-Up”

May 14th, 2018

service-blue-markerWe’re now moving toward the edge of summer, so if you haven’t yet arranged for your regular spring air conditioning maintenance, we recommend having it done soon. When the summer heat hits, you won’t want to be without your AC for long.

But… you want to make sure that you have full, thorough, professional air conditioning maintenance service. This includes a complete inspection, cleaning, and tune-up. At this time of year, many HVAC contractors start offering “Spring Tune-Up Specials,” advertising a low-cost to come to your house and prep your air conditioner for the approaching hot weather. These tune-up specials can be as low as $35, which sounds like a great deal. But it isn’t.

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Should I Shut Down My Furnace for the Summer?

April 30th, 2018

sunshine-iconYou’re probably happy to read this headline, because it means summer is getting closer and you’re that much nearer to not needing your home’s furnace at all. (At least until toward the end of the year.) But when the warmer weather settles in and the furnace won’t have to run, should you shut the system down entirely?

The answer depends on the type of furnace installed in your house. The main reason to shut down a furnace for the season is to avoid energy waste or possible safety hazards, and this isn’t the same for all furnaces.

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